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Probe into baby Simeon’s death begins next week

The probe into the death of baby Simeon at the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital is expected to begin next week. That, sources said yesterday, was based on the arrival of consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist of the University College London Hospitals Dr Melanie Clare Davies. Davies, it is understood, was finalising arrangements to come to T&T. On March 17, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan named the team which would conduct the investigation.

They included neonatologist and former head of the neo-natal unit at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital Dr Petronella Manning-Alleyne, retired Appeal Court judge Mustapha Ibrahim and Davies. The trio form the independent committee which would probe the circumstances which led to Simeon’s death on Carnival Saturday. Ramlogan said yesterday Manning-Alleyne, Ibrahim and Davies had already received their briefs. The probe is expected to be completed within three weeks. Baby Simeon’s head was cut as his mother Quelly Ann Cottle underwent a C-section, resulting in his death. The doctor who performed the operation remains on suspension pending the outcome of the independent investigation.

After he announced the members of the committee Ramlogan had stressed that the probe was not a witch-hunt. He said the committee would determine what went wrong, why it went wrong and what should be done to prevent it from recurring. “It is going to be a no-holds-barred approach. I am going to encourage the committee to shoot from the hip and let us deal with the problem frankly and squarely,” he had said. Contacted yesterday Cottle said she had not heard nothing further from the hospital authorities.